The Best Vegitarian Chili in the World

Another great recipe from allrecipes.com, here is the direct link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Vegetarian-Chili-in-the-World/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:

1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons dried oregano 1 tablespoon salt 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 green bell peppers, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped 3 cloves garlic, chopped 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chili peppers, drained

2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles 3 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed 1/4 cup chili powder 1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can black beans 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn

Directions:

1.	Sauté the onion in broth or water, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
2.	Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving.

Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

This is a great recipe I got from allrecipes.com, here is the direct link:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Make-Ahead-Vegetarian-Moroccan-Stew/Detail.aspx

The spice mix is what brings about the flavor so it is important to get all of the spices, don’t worry this will become a favorite and you will make it again and again! You can go to grocery stores like Sprouts that sell the spices in bulk, so you can get just what you need. If you don’t like the sweetness of the recipe then omit the honey if it is still sweet then omit the nectarines, I do not recommend this as the nectarines add some well needed nutrients and taste.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 cups finely shredded kale

4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 tablespoon honey

4 large carrots, chopped

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

3 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Combine cinnamon, cumin, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, curry powder, and salt in a large bowl, reserve.
2. Cook the onion until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes you can add moisture to the pan while sautéing with veggie broth or water. Stir in the shredded kale and reserved spice mixture. Cook for 2 minutes or until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant.
3. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir in the tomatoes, honey, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, garbanzo beans, dried apricots, and lentils. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low.
4. Simmer stew for 30 – 45 minutes or until the vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender. Season with black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Engine 2 Diet Inspired Hummus Wraps

These are a perfect lunch delight. Whole grains, beans, and veggies to feed your body what it needs. I adopted this recipe from the Engine 2 Diet, and you can make it your own! Add a side of fruit and avocado or nuts and you have a complete and well balanced meal. This made 8 medium sized wraps.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack medium wraps (Alejandro whole wheat torts or low fat whole grain wrap)
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can beans (you choose and mix it up next time you make them, black, kidney, pinto, great northern, etc..)
• 3-4 large collard green leafs, ribs removed and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 4 garlic cloves 2 minced and 2 whole for the hummus
• 1 yellow or green zucchini squash chopped
• 1 small tub (6oz) mushrooms chopped (mix it up and try different varieties)
• 1 jalapeño or small jar of no oil roasted red pepper
• lite soy sauce
• lime juice

Start by chopping the onion and mince 2 garlic cloves. Have the other ingredients washed and ready to be chopped. Open the cans of beans and have them rinsed and ready, do not combine the beans. In a blender or small food processor combine the chickpeas, seeded jalapeño or roasted red pepper, 2 garlic cloves and blend. Now add the lime juice soy sauce and a little water to reach the desired taste and consistency (I do not have exact amounts for this, just add a little of each at a time until you reach the desired taste. I also added a little A-1 sauce, so get creative just don’t ruin it). Blend the hummus ingredients until the desired consistency and taste is reached, set aside and start cooking the onion and garlic over medium heat.

Preheat the oven to 350. While the onion and garlic are cooking chop the bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini and add to the pan with the onions once they are slightly translucent. While all the veggies are cooking prep the wraps by applying a thin layer of the homemade hummus to approx. 8 of them. Chop the collard green leafs into small pieces and add to the veggie mix once the veggies are cooked to your liking. Season the veggies with a little spice, pepper, chili powder, dash of salt or salt free seasoning, whatever you like to season with.Then add the beans to the mix and cook for an additional 2-3 min until the greens are wilted, then turn off the heat. Now you can add the mix to the prepped wraps. Fill the middle with a scoop of the veggies fold the sides onto each other leaving the ends open. Place the wraps on a slightly oiled cookie sheet or piece of parchment paper and cook in the oven for approx. 8-10 min.

Variety is the key! Make sure you are eating a wide variety of veggies, beans, grains, fruits, nuts and seeds. Try subbing out some veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc… when you make these again, mix it up. Add a side of your favorite fruits and garnish with some avocado or a handful of your favorite nuts. Enjoy!

Black Eyed Peas Over Brown Rice

Another quick and easy meal that fills you up and tastes great! Cajun style black eyed peas over brown rice with roasted red bell pepper sauce. I found this recipe at the www.happyherbivore.com website and made a few tweaks.

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• 8oz Roasted Red Bell Pepper (drained)
• 1/2 Medium Onion (chopped)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• Cajun seasoning (1 teaspoon)
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth

Peas and Brown Rice

• 1 Can Black Eyed Peas
• 1/2 Bunch Cilantro
• 1 cup Brown Rice
• 3/4 cup Vegetable Broth
• 1.5 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
• Hot Sauce
• 2 teaspoon Brown Sugar

Assembly:

Start by cooking the brown rice, use a 2:1 ratio of water:rice. Boil 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of brown rice, bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45-50 minutes (keep an eye on these, cook time may vary). In the mean time you can prepare the other ingredients. For the sauce, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup vegetable broth until the onions are translucent. Add the onion, garlic and roasted red bell pepper to a blender and blend until smooth. Put the sauce in a pan and keep warm. Drain and rinse the beans, add to a pot along with the Cajun seasoning and 1/2 cup veggie broth. Bring to a boil (do not burn the beans, stir constantly) and cook down the broth till it thickens or poor out the excess broth if needed to reach desired consistency add the desired amount of hot sauce to spice up the beans. Finely chop the cilantro, once the rice is done cooking add the cilantro to the rice,  then add the brown sugar and add some moisture back with a little of the left over veggie broth then mix the rice until all ingredients have blended.

Start with a bed of rice, add the black eyed peas, and top with the roasted red bell pepper sauce then serve. This recipe as is should be enough for 2-3 servings. Enjoy!

Whole Grain Pasta with Puttanesca Sauce

This is a fantastic recipe and the flavor grows as it sits, almost better the next day. This one is fairly quick and easy. Prep all the ingredients before you get started, it makes things a little easier.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium white or yellow onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes or 2 28oz cans plum tomatoes drained and chopped
• 15 minced fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons capers roughly  chopped or smashed
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Dice the onion and set aside. Place the minced garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and set aside. Core the tomatoes and chop the roughly, reserve the juice, flesh and seeds, place in a large bowl. Mix the next six ingredients with the tomatoes and set aside. Heat a large stockpot or soup pot over medium-high heat, add the onions and stir until lightly brown 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and red flakes and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the tomato mixture. Simmer the sauce for 25 minutes or so until it thickens up. Season with the salt and pepper to taste and serve. While all of this is cooking boil water and cook the pasta (usually take around 15-18 minutes, try to plan it so they are ready at the same time. Enjoy!

Mango Bean Avocado Salad

Lets just start by saying this is not my recipe, I got it from the book “My Beef With Meat” By Rip Esselstyn and it is fantastic. There are a lot of great recipes in this book.

This is a great summer salad, quick, easy, delicious!  So lets get on with it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can Cannellini Beans
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Mango
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 1/4-1/2 Medium Red Onion (depending on how much you like red onion)
• 1 Lime

Open the can of beans and rinse thoroughly, then add them to a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed, scoop out the avocado meat and dice it, add to the bowl. The best part (sarcasm) is dicing the mango, here is a link on how to cut a Mango in case you need a visual.

Now just 3 more ingredients to prepare and add to the bowl, dice the onion, chop the cilantro, and squeeze the lime juice over the ingredients. If there are any other seasonings you may like go ahead and try it as is then decide if it needs anything. This will serve 3 and leave you wanting more, so I would suggest doubling the recipe if you want left overs, the lime juice will help keep the avocado for a day or so. I love it as is. Enjoy!

Whole Food Plant Based Taco Salad or Tasty Tostada

This is a quick easy meal that is packed full of great plant based foods! The ingredients do not have to be exact and you can season the mix however you like. As with all recipes, please make it your own, add certain items you enjoy and remove those you do not; keep in mind that variety is necessary on a whole food plant based diet. As listed this can feed 3 – 4 adults. Let’s start with the bean mix:

• 2 cans mixed beans (black, pinto, great northern) or 2 cans of any one of those variety.
• 1 bunch Cilantro.
• 1 can Ro-Tel (I like the cilantro lime one) or a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies.
• 1 medium red onion.
• 4 -5 cloves of fresh Garlic.
• 1 can of Corn

Star by using a medium to large non-stick or seasoned cast iron sauté pan on medium heat no need to add oil, just keep the onions and garlic moving. Dice the red onion and mince the garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are mostly translucent. Chop the Cilantro when you chop the onion and garlic and have it ready. While those are cooking, open the cans of beans and corn, pour them into a sieve and rinse until the bean bubbles stop. Open the can of Ro-Tel or diced tomatoes with green chilies drain off a little of the fluid, add all the canned items to the onion and garlic mix. Cook the mix for a few minutes to heat everything up, then add the cilantro and turn off the heat. You can always add your favorite seasonings to the mix like chili powder, cayenne pepper, a little salt and pepper, I like the mix as is. This will be ready to serve almost immediately, so now you will need the other items depending on what variation you would like, Taco Salad or Tostada.

Veggie Tostadas:

• 12 corn tortillas
• 2 avocados
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 1 can of black olives (optional)
• fresh diced tomatoes (optional)
• Salsa

For the tostada shell, simply heat your oven to 425 and bake the corn tortillas until they slightly brown and crisp up, usually about 7-8 minutes per side. You can hurry the process by using your broiler on high, I would be careful as they will cook a lot faster this way. Keep your eye on them and flip them as needed after a few minutes. Once the shells are toasted then you can dress them up with the other ingredients. Dice the avocados, chop the spinach and you are ready to make the tostadas. I like to start with the bean mix, then the spinach, topped with avocado, black olives, then salsa. You can throw on some diced tomatoes if you like and enjoy!

Veggie Taco Salad:

Use the same ingredients as you would with the Tostadas, the only change would be to add more spinach; enough to make 3 – 4 salads or however many people you plan to cook for. Another change would be to use fewer tortillas as they are only a topping. Bake the tortillas as described above, maybe a little longer as they will be crumbled and used to top your salad. Start with a bed of spinach; add the bean mix and the toppings above then use Salsa as you dressing…Enjoy!